Child of the Equinox: Sun-Chaser
by Sarudoshi
Summary: she's a street-rat with a silver tongue and a wicked sucker-punch raised by wolves. the catch? in her wildest dreams she never would've thought she would be an accessory to the imminent end of the world she had known. [slight AU/ KibaOC rated M for lang, violence and Tsume's vocab]
1. The Sharpest Lives, pt I

A/N: **i don't own Wolf's Rain; Nikki belongs to me.**

[**key**: _'wolf speech_'/ "human speech"]

* * *

**_The Sharpest Lives - Pt. I_**

* * *

Normal girls would be sleeping off a day's worth of the mundane, or in certain cases they would be prowling the night selling themselves to earn a paycheck.

But she wasn't normal.

The chilly wind bit at her cheeks and nose; furrowing the scowl on her brow, she flexed her knuckles on habit before digging her hands into the deep pockets of her black jeans, blue eyes peeled for any sign of her company's return.

_The mission should've ended sooner than now; don't tell me they ran into trouble_…

'**_You're still not old enough to come with; besides, gigs are usually life-threatening_**.' His familiar amber stare flashed in her mind.  
She stomped her right foot's heel into the snowy floor of the alcove to fight the instinctive chattering of her teeth. _Onii-san, hurry up_.

And then she heard it.

The low thrum of an aircraft cut through the soft howl of the winds like a dagger's blade; she looked to the cloudy night sky and watched as a large airship flew past the city's gates, the shrill buzzing of the machine's engines ringing in her ears hollowly.

She hated that noise.

Watching the airship continue onward to the upper-echelons that housed the nobility district, she huffed and spat in the moving aircraft's wake, eyes narrowed.

A more raucous noise sounded in the minutes that followed, perking her ears; she looked to the frozen wasteland beyond the city's gates as two jeeps were coming forward from the darkness, the headlights dying down, but she knew by the giddiness that had entered the atmosphere that the crew had returned.

She sighed in relief, finding herself smiling as the men hopped from the jeeps to unload the supplies they'd pilfered, trotting forward to welcome them back.

"Nice slip-up back there, Gehl." One of the guys lightly cuffed the redhead boy on the back of his head as he passed by.

The boy winced and grumbled, "Thanks, Chen…"

"Well, there's a nice sight. S' sweet of you to welcome me back, Nikki." Another of the men wolf-whistled at the passing girl.

She snorted and shot him a rude hand gesture, rolling her eyes. "Piss off, Sedo." She passed by Gehl and smiled kindly at him.

"_Ouch_, still the stone-cold bitch, I see." Chen snickered, eyeing her curved frame approvingly.

"Lay off, you lot." Their leader advised blandly, shooting his two cohorts a mild glare.

"Whatever you say, Tsume." Sedo complied with a shrug, elbowing Chen, leaving him to carry the heavier box of supplies as he trailed after the others, the latter traipsing after him.

Tsume's glare shifted to a scowl before he exhaled and looked at the girl, "Sorry for the wait."

"Don't be, I'm _perfectly_ _fine_ freezing my ass off waiting for you lot." Nikki rolled her eyes, sidestepping as he led the way after his crew's wake, following until she was at his side loyally.

"Sarcasm won't get you far, Nik." He remarked, hearing her huff, smirking at her.

They passed through a few more alleys until hitting the wider alley that passed by a run-down bar that had a weird scent, seeming to get stronger as they came closer to the shabby place.

There, that was the source.

Time seemed to slow down as he looked down the narrow alley near the bar's closed door, amber eyes finding and resting on a black dog that looked a little too wolfish for his liking; his hackles rose up in a silent bristle as he noticed the dog was glaring at him through the clearest blue eyes he'd ever seen.

Just as fast as it had slowed, time jerked forward in no time, and the dog started barking madly, fangs bared, yanking and squirming against the leash tying it to the red fire hydrant near the door.

"Oi, Tsume!" Chen called after the irritant of the dog had booked it at top speed.

Nikki looked at the dog a second longer before she hurried after him, Sedo, Gehl and Chen following.

::::::l oOo l::::::

"What's all the commotion for…?" She grumbled, quirking a brow at the sight of her brother's crew surrounding the aged oak rooted to the decrepit slab of concrete, glancing at him as he came forward.

"What is it?"

"It's a dog, but I don't think it's gonna make it."

Both brows lifted when seeing him stiffen as he seemed to catch whiff of the "dog", before the surprise melted from his stern features. "Tsume…" She began.

"That is **not** a dog. Pull it out." He ordered gruffly with a slight nod of his head at earning a few wary glances from the men.

The guy closest to the tree's hole where the animal in question resided reached forward to touch said creature.

Like lightning, the dog lashed out with a resounding snarl, fangs snapping at the man and cutting him down; as the second one fired arrows at it from the crossbow he had in hand, the animal lurched forward to tackle him, teeth ripping his throat out like a hot knife through butter.

Her eyes sharpened in awe as the dog –no, this wasn't a dog at all; this was a wolf—regarded the horrorstruck crowd through narrowed gold slits, blood staining his muzzle contorted into an angered snarl, teeth bared.

Another wolf…?

"How interesting." She perked up slightly at hearing the drawl in his voice, looking at her brother to see he was now in the wolf's sights, gold glaring at amber.

Snarling, the white wolf glowered at him and watched him slowly back up until he took off in the direction of the old tower with the wolf giving chase at top speed.

"Damn it!" She hissed, sprinting after them before any of the others could think to follow, the speed she had been taught was her greatest weapon kicking into gear as she put her slightly-short legs to work and hurried after the two wolves to the old tower.

Loud snarling and brief barks came from the top when she finally reached them; looking up from regaining the air back into her lungs, she gaped slightly at watching the two males fight, blood and fur flying into the air.

Reality flew back in a pinch to remind her that someone might come after her soon, and she shook out of the awe and slight fear at watching the two males duke it out, springing into action.

Tsume punted the wolf away with a sharp headbutt, baring his teeth as the wolf lunged again, before a growl came from the side and a blur of black and blue came into view, shoving the wolf away roughly.

The stranger growled lowly and bared his teeth, gold eyes glowering into the determined set of blue eyes the color of the sky, the pretty face framed with a mop of thin black hair.

"Enough, both of you." Nikki snapped, a hard scowl forming on her brow, her words meant not only for him but for her companion she was protecting.

'_Idiot, move out of the way_.' The gray wolf growled behind her.

"Get ahold of yourself before the guys come, lunkhead." She countered, briefly surprising the stranger at seeing that she understood their speech.

Tsume snorted and glared at the stranger, watching him glare back before turning away to leave the rooftop, favoring his left hind leg.

Nikki watched him leave; she didn't know if it was pity or if it was sympathy, but she looked at her brother and offered a brief smile before following the injured wolf.

* * *

The wolf scowled slightly at his reflection, scenting that wolf nearby, though it didn't entirely smell like him, but there was a touch of female scent there too… '_You're not very sneaky_.' He commented.

Furrowing her brow at being caught, the girl sighed and slipped out from behind the alley wall to approach the wolf, regarding his various cuts and the conspicuous injury to his left leg with hesitation she quickly dashed to leave sympathy present. "I get that a lot." She replied.

He sized her up briefly, appraising that even though she had some curves, there was a subtle indication that she was lithe on her feet, possibly a thief too, like her 'brother'. He furrowed his brow when regarding her placid sky colored stare, shrugging past her, slightly favoring his leg again. '_Why're you following me?_' He asked at hearing her boot heels clacking softly in his wake.

"You should have your leg looked at." She noted, slipping her hands into the pockets of her blue overcoat and sidling to his right side.

The wolf snuffed, looking at her out of the corner of his eye, '_You're a __**human**__, y'know_.'

"I'm aware of that, but what's that got to do with things?" She shrugged.

'_Humans fear wolves, so why don't you act human?_' He demanded, starting to feel just the slightest bit annoyed with her obliviousness; why didn't she turn away, and why was she so close to that Tsume guy anyway?

"Well I'm not afraid of wolves. I never feared them, even when I was little. Besides, you're interesting." She added, smiling at him.

This confused the wolf; he raised a furry brow. '_Then why're you so close to that Tsume guy?_' He asked.

She blinked once at the strange question before chuckling, smiling sheepishly. "I know this's gonna sound weird, but he raised me, and because of that, I think of him like my big brother." She explained.

'…_You're a strange human_.' He muttered, shaking his head slightly.

She scritched the back of her head, pursing her lips. "It might be nice to learn the name of someone so judgmental." She groused.

He couldn't fight the amusement creeping onto his features. '_Kiba_.'

"Nikki." She answered with a slight nod.

'_Strange name for a strange human._' He mused aloud.

She huffed, scowling. "Shouldn't you _look_ like one, by the way? Onii-san always looks like a human so he doesn't blow his cover." She asked dryly.

'_I wouldn't be showing my wolf's pride if I were to look like a human. Besides, your brother can do what he wants with his life; he's obviously thrown away his pride by hanging with those other humans_.' He replied stiffly.

"Well that '_wolf's pride'_ crap won't save your ass if you get caught." She countered, quieting her voice when they passed through a dingy marketplace, straightening her posture and pretending as if he were her pet dog instead of a supposedly-extinct wolf.

Kiba regarded her strange actions with another lifted eyebrow, shaking his head and huffing. '_What would a human know of wolf's pride…?_' He started to ask snarkily before catching whiff of gunpowder coming from behind them.

The quiet click of a gun being loaded resounded in the air, making them both freeze; a growl rumbled in his chest as she turned to stare at the nose of a shotgun being wielded by a grizzled old hunter with a black dog at his side, inwardly cursing her bad luck as she recognized the dog to be the same one from the other night.

Damn.

Loud barking sounded as the dog bolted forward to attack the white wolf that bared his teeth menacingly, ready to fight; she distinctly saw the old man lift his gun at him and made to draw her dagger when the wolf bit out '_run!_' and threw her for a loop.

"You're not serious…" She began, perking up as the dog jumped the distance between them; the wolf snarled and snapped at her heels.

'**_Hurry_**_!_' He growled, glaring at her, and she could swear she saw concern flash in his stare.

Nikki glared back before she took off down a side-alley, continuing to run even as the gunshot went off in the marketplace behind her that made her cringe.

"Idiot."

::::::l oOo l::::::

The intimidating sight of the police department's geometric building loomed high overhead.

Squaring her shoulders, she exhaled and rubbed her temples, grumbling, "I must be out of my mind…" She ascended the steps.

"Oi, you lost?" Blinking once, she looked back to see a familiar pudgy boy with wiry brown hair looking at her with something like curiosity and confusion swimming in his garnet eyes.

She sighed slightly and smiled at him, pausing. "Hige, what're you doing here?"

He smiled back, trotting up the stairs to come to her step, "I was gonna ask you the same thing, actually. Don't tell me you finally got smart and wanted to turn your brother in." He joked wryly, elbowing her.

Even though they were both clearly different species, Hige was her friend and things had been that way between them for the last six years. Of course he flirted, but her tomboy nature usually made his 'sweet words' bounce off like pebbles from steel.

"No I didn't," Nikki rolled her eyes and punched him affectionately, chuckling. "A friend of mine got caught and I came to spring him. Barge in and sneak him out; simple." She informed, continuing to make her trek.

Hige blinked once before trotting after her, sidling to her side. "Easier said than done, Nik," he caught her wrist, forcing her gaze to meet his. "Is he… y'know?" He didn't need to spell it out.

She sighed and nodded. "And a very stubborn and idiotic one, to boot." She replied, shirking free to near the spinning doors.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, "Cripes, I'm startin' to think he's not the _only_ one… Wait up!"

It was surprisingly easy to break into the place; people that saw them guessed they were part of the cleaning crew.

So when they located the room where he was –thanks to the tan wolf's ever-keen nose—it was blessedly clear of life save the wolf that rested in a cage to the back of the room.

"This's your guy?" Hige asked as she stepped inside first, following, sliding his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.

Nikki nodded, smiling slightly as she crouched infront of the cage. "Yeah." She reached to slip a couple of fingers past the bars to stroke the top of his muzzle.

Rousing, Kiba opened a gold eye and was met with her softened blue stare; he snuffed quietly, '_I told you to run_.' He said, his words moreso a scolding than voicing his relief at seeing she was present.

She blinked and then scowled, feeling a vein twitch on her brow. "Some gratitude would be nice…" She grumbled, distinctly seeing amusement flash in his eyes. "You would do well to not be so snarky when you've got a bum leg and shoulder, by the way."

"Man, you really screwed up." The tan wolf mused as he shuffled forward to plonk down next to her, keeping the girl from threatening the injured white wolf any further, smirking bemusedly. "I mean, I've seen one of us get caught before, but never _this_ badly!" He added.

The white wolf leveled him a dry look, '_I can get out of here whenever I feel like it, y'know_.'

"Ah-huh, so why're you still in there?" He asked cheekily.

He shrugged slightly, '_Just needed a place to rest for a while, that's all_.'

He chuckled a little, "I'm Hige, it's nice to meet ya."

'_So why're you in here, anyway?_'

"No reason; it smelled like something interesting was gonna happen, so I just followed my nose. Y'know? 'Sides, I got nowhere else to go, and the princess here obviously wasn't coming in alone…"

'_That's not your true form. Why do you hide yourself?_'

"So I don't end up where you are. See, people here are terrified of us –aside from her— so, y'know, if we look like them, they pretty much leave us alone."

'_Living a __**lie**__; just so you can die a __**miserable **__**death**__ in this city?_'

"Gotta do what you can to survive, right? Keep lookin' like that and you'll be back here in no time. It draws too much attention."

'_Have you given up your pride as a __**wolf**__?_' He straightened slightly to bare his teeth in annoyance.

He blinked once before smiling wryly, "You're a strange one, all right. But having pride doesn't count for much if you're dead, ne?" He stated, seeing the annoyance slip from his face to be replaced with slight surprise.

She smiled a little, cringing when loud sirens went off shortly after, jumping to her feet and looking at the doors of the room. "Damn it. Come on, we need to get out of here." She declared.

The white wolf growled as he bit down on the bars of his cage, and she watched with slight amazement as he bent the bars at enough of a wide angle for his body to slip out of his prison. He shook his fur before straightening to his full height, his form shifting and changing from that of a white wolf with gold eyes to a boy that looked her age with unruly brown hair and striking glacier-green eyes.

Kiba regarded her slightly slackened jaw expression with a smirk. "Look human enough _now?_" He asked.

Cheeks coloring cherry red, Nikki coughed and cut her gaze away, huffing. "Shut up before I give you a black eye to go with your bum leg." She growled, lifting a hand to tuck her black hair back as she drew up the blue-gray hood of her coat.

Hige sweatdropped, rolling his eyes and trodding ahead of the two. "C'mon, let's move," he urged over his shoulder.

The trio slipped out into the chaotic corridor with the tan wolf in the lead and the girl and white wolf at his heels; one particular cop barreled past them and clipped the shoulder of the girl, catching her off balance.

Kiba grabbed her waist, making her squeak, pulling her close and ignoring the dark blush on her cheeks as he muttered to her, "Pretend you're helping me walk." He could walk fine on his own, even with his bum leg.

Nikki scowled slightly but complied nonetheless, sliding her arm around his shoulders. "Crafty flea-bag." She mumbled under her breath, ignoring the apparent amusement her words warranted from him.

::::::l oOo l::::::

'_Aren't you cold?'_

She looked over at where the two wolves slept, briefly surprised to see that he was awake, shrugging and looking at the expanse of the rundown buildings around them, glancing once or twice in the direction of her brother's hideout. "Not really." She replied, brushing some of her fringe out of her face before turning to sit down next to him.

The white wolf raised a furry brow momentarily and looked at her, '_I guess you heard what I said earlier, about Paradise_.' He mused.

"Yeah; even though I've never heard of it, it sounds like it's better than this place." She shrugged, smiling a little at his gold stare.

Kiba's left ear twitched. '_Thanks for helping me escape_.' He added, lowering his gaze out of something she pegged to be mild embarrassment.

Nikki blinked once before smiling again, shrugging. "Don't mention it; kinda owed it to you for what happened in the marketplace." She lifted a hand to gingerly pat his head, feeling him slightly stiffen.

His furry face morphed into something like a pout, though when she started scritching behind his left ear, he snuffed in defeat. '_You're a strange girl_.'

"Like you're one to talk, tough guy." She giggled quietly, rubbing behind his right ear with gentle fingers, smiling at noting he was starting to relax. "Aww, good puppy."

Kiba growled slightly, shooting her a look. '_Shut up._' Why did she have to start scratching…?

Nikki grinned cheekily, resuming petting his head and watching his ears flick aimlessly, gold eyes closing.

He opened an eye when feeling her stop petting, hearing her yawn as her head rested against his shoulder, her fingers curling absently in his fur. He smiled a little, closing his eyes.

* * *

**A/N**: now before you guys start chewing me out in regards to this, **YES** i'm aware i'm spamming you lot with stories but i needed to get this off the ground before it drove me crazy so there. also, i'm really interested on how this is going to turn out. it's been a long time since i've made a story with a human thrown into the tumble known as the Wolf's Rain universe, and in the past the stories haven't kicked off well, to put it lightly.

but yeah, chapter two is in the works and there's just _a bit_ more sexual tension thrown in and according to the forecast, it'll continue until.. hell, i'm not spilling the climax point just yet! you'll just have to read and be good patient readers, okay, duckies? (:

constructive criticism or feedback would be well appreciated here, so feel free to give me a holler. thanks, and later!


	2. The Sharpest Lives, pt II

A/N: **i don't own Wolf's Rain; Nikki belongs to me.**

[**key**: _'wolf speech_'/ "human speech"]

* * *

**_The Sharpest Lives - Pt. II_**

* * *

"Oh what is this world coming to…?"

She glanced over at the two women gossiping and snorted under her breath, fastening her arms already crossed over her chest. _If you only knew, lady_. At noting the hackles arisen on the white wolf, she followed his line of sight to see he was striking fear into the heart of the more-bourgeois woman's small pug.

"Oi, heel. You're only making that dog ever closer to pissing on his master's shoes." She nudged his ribs, catching his mild glare with a cheeky smile.

He snuffed and slid his hands into the pockets of his weather-beaten jacket. "That dog's been cowed and tamed enough; besides, I saw you eavesdropping." He remarked, elbowing her.

She felt her ears burn and she slugged his shoulder, huffing. "Bite me." She grumbled, shuffling ahead of him after the tan wolf in the lead, noting he was sniffing (and pilfering) a fresh round of hot dogs at a nearby kiosk.

"You're lucky I don't," Kiba muttered as he followed at a calmer pace, momentarily catching the small curves on her hips, though not entirely nonexistent but just present enough to state that she was female. Even though her attitude and shoulder-length black hair could've said elsewise. Still, she was strange.

_Strange and oddly interesting… But mostly strange._

"See, what'd I tell you? Noone notices us." Hige said nonchalantly as they stepped into an alley, plonking down on an ascending stairwell and tossing two hotdogs to his companions.

Catching hers expertly, Nikki bit into her pilfered dog and then blinked once when seeing the more-dubious wolf sniffing at his food; she swallowed, an amused smirk playing at her lips as she couldn't fight the giggle that arose.

He made a face at her amusement regarding his hesitation, taking a bite of the dog and minutely grimacing. "This is awful." He muttered.

"S' the best you can get around here. If I see a deer loping by, I'll be sure to catch it for you." He said sardonically, stuffing the last of his dog into his mouth.

"Can't complain when it's free," she agreed around another mouthful of hotdog.

He bit into his own dog, "you mean _pilfered_."

She pouted at him. "Oi, don't knock it; if you're fast enough to pull a job, then more power to you." _Not all of us are nomads_, she silently added.

Kiba began to spout a snarky comment in rebuttal were it not for the shrill cry of police cars that sounded in the distance, his ears twitching; he looked in the direction of the noise.

"Nobles are at it again; seems like they're picking up one idiot after another." Hige commented, also having tuned in to the noise, looking in the same direction mildly.

Nikki followed their line of sight, frowning slightly as she thought back to her brother and she dusted her hands of crumbs. _I hope Onii-san's doing okay; if he got caught by those bastards_…

"Where do the troops take them once they're caught?" Kiba asked, stirring her from her thoughts.

Hige shrugged, "Prolly the same place they took you, I guess."

He looked thoughtful, "That's perfect. I'll blend in, and sneak inside."

"Come again?" She blinked once, tilting her head slightly to look at him, not entirely believing he was actually contemplating going back there. "Kiba, you're not serious…"

"It was hard enough getting out of there, and now you want to go back? That hotdog fried your brain!" He added quickly, as disbelieving as she was.

"I'm going back in." He stated, looking to both of his friends.

Hige snorted, "Hang on a second, what the hell happened to goin' to Paradise?"

"Look, the scent is coming from somewhere inside that building. And as far as we can tell, the only way in is to get captured. You know what's there, don't you? What they're hiding behind those walls? The beacon that'll lead us to Paradise." Kiba said seriously, mainly looking at his fellow wolf.

"Well you'll never get close to Cheza." Nikki countered calmly, perking his ears.

At seeing the question rising to the surface, Hige contributed, "The girl that was made from Lunar Flowers, at least that's what they say, anywho. Listen, it's pointless to go back; they've got the place locked down. Even we couldn't get so far as to the lab."

"Then why'd you escape with me?" Kiba asked blandly.

Hige shrugged, "For a little excitement, I guess."

"Hige, don't you believe in Paradise, too?" He quirked a brow.

"I'm not goin'." He scoffed.

Rolling his eyes, he shrugged, "All right, see you around." He turned and took off in the direction of the noise.

"Oi, Kiba!" He yelped, looking at his back in disbelief.

Nikki pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, "Geez…"

"He's _your_ boyfriend, ain't he? Why didja let him go?" Hige looked at her knowingly.

She ignored the burning sensation in her cheeks and ears, shoulders squaring. "He is **not** my boyfriend." She stared at where he had been standing for a few seconds longer before groaning, shaking her head. "I must be out of my mind..."

::::::l oOo l::::::

She jogged after his leave and she rounded another corner before she came across his familiar head of shaggy brown hair. "Hey, hold on." She declared.

Kiba paused and glanced over his shoulder at her, stopping to let her catch up. "So why _did_ you escape with me from that place?" He asked squarely when she regained her bearings, seeing her straighten from having stooped a little to grip her knees.

Nikki blinked once before she scowled stubbornly, huffing. "You were in trouble, and if you didn't escape, only God knows what those people would've done to you. Besides, even if Hige won't join you, I will. I want to help." She stated, placing a hand on her hip and slightly shifting her weight from foot to foot.

Momentarily taking note of the determination sparkling in her blue stare, he scowled slightly and looked away, huffing as he started walking. "You're a _human_, if you recall. Humans don't believe in Paradise. And besides, it's too dangerous for anyone other than a wolf to make this journey." He countered, hearing her scurry after him.

She glared after him and grabbed a fistful of his jacket in her left hand, yanking him to a halt and pulling him to stand against the alley wall, a growl in her throat as she glared stubbornly up into his green stare. "I'm _not_ a weak little human like you think I am. At least get that straightened out before I rearrange your face. I don't care what you say, or what anyone says; I do what I please. _Got it?_" She released his shirt collar to stiffly back away and then walk ahead of him. "Come on, you wanted to catch a bus, right?" She added, the irritation left her voice and replaced with her usual laid-back façade.

He blinked a second time at the strange whirlwind that had taken place with the human girl, the image of her glare showcasing the blazing determination in her blue eyes lingering longest in his mind. He followed at a calmer pace, still soaking in what she had said, the somewhat threat she had thrown in...

'_Oddly interesting_' just traded places with '_highly interesting_'.

::::::l oOo l::::::

"C'mon, baby, what's the long face for?"

**_THWACK_**.

She rubbed her knuckles absently, glowering at the man she'd just broken the nose of, huffing at his half-balled-up form on the floor. "Sorry, baby, but you're _so_ not my type." She glared at the rest of the cell's occupants. "You assholes got _anything else_ to say?" She demanded boldly.

He watched the room clam up quickly and he looked at the reigning champ as she spat at the unfortunate man before stiffly retreating to sit next to his right. "Makes me glad you didn't 'rearrange my face' like you did him." He muttered.

She ran a hand through her hair absently. "Told you I can handle myself." She huffed.

He surveyed her lithe frame and noted she was indeed petite, smirking privately and looking away. "Tough spitfire." He murmured in appreciation.

She pretended she didn't blush at his words, squeezing her knees drawn to her chest. "Bite me." She snuffed.

Kiba chuckled, smirking cheekily. "And you don't think I **won't**?" He asked.

"You won't because **_I'll_** bite _back_." Nikki scoffed, giving him a challenging look, tipping her chin upward a little.

Given she was raised by a wolf, he had the distinct impression that she really _would_ bite back… and as strange as it was, he wouldn't mind it in the slightest.

_Oi what was **wrong** with him…?_

He only smiled amusedly and relaxed against the wall. "I'm surprised you're so calm around me now that you've seen this face. You seem more at home with the real face." He noted quietly, thinking on the truth of his findings.

She had indeed been more open while he was in fur; but when she first saw his human mask, he could swear she was an awkward teenager that hardly made eye contact with him, and would blush if meeting his gaze.

She ignored the blush creeping into her cheeks and instead she released her knees to punch his shoulder hard. "It helps for me to punch you, y'know, since you're **_such_** a _tough_ _puppy_." She stated serenely, closing her eyes.

Kiba rubbed his bruised arm gingerly, "Ow… _Cripes_, what the hell did you learn to hit on? A **boulder**?" He grumbled, shooting her a look.

Sliding an eye open at hearing the imminent whine coming from the almighty wolf, her cool façade melted and she giggled, failing to fight off an amused grin. "A tree." Nikki answered innocently.

His scowl shifted to a pout at seeing he amused her –at the expense of a few bruises; he breathed out air that lifted the fringe of brown on his left temple. "You're so strange sometimes…" He mused.

"Pfft, _right_, like you're perfect." _Even though you sure as hell look it_, she rolled her eyes and pretended he didn't look perfect for one moment. Part of her wondered why he took her punches and sarcasm; she wasn't pretty, at least she didn't see herself as that, and he was a wolf!

Surely he would've said something by now, or told her to leave him alone… so why didn't he?

* * *

Even though they were out of that stupid holding pen, she couldn't fight the sinking feeling that something was wrong, like if someone had set off an atom bomb and it was right next to her ears.

So when the sight of a tall dark figure carrying a pale figure crossing an overhead walkway merely yards ahead of them, her sinking feeling had just plummeted deeper into the abyss beneath her boots.

All three of them skidded to a halt at the sight, and even though it was nearly pitch black in the narrow alley they were in, she could still make out the white masquerade-esque mask on the figure's face. It didn't take a rocket-scientist to figure this weirdo was a man; but there was something about him that threw her off, and if she had fur, she would be bristling on end just staring up at him.

She narrowed her eyes and an instinctive hand lowered to lift a dagger from the back of her belt.

"_Wolves_." The white and tan wolves flinched when the man recognized their true forms; she could swear the former was growling death threats at the man. "…And a _weak_ little girl." She gritted her teeth slightly and growled at his insult. "You have my gratitude, for it was you who awoke her." He drawled.

Nikki bared her teeth on reflex as both of her friends balked. "Tch, I figured as such." Of course. How could she not see it?

_Only __**they**__ would collect what was stolen from them, even if they had to do it in the dead of night_.

"The Flower Maiden is mine." The noble added conclusively.

Hige gaped, "'The _Maiden'?_"

"Cheza." Nikki murmured.

The sound of an airship powering up cut into the tension-filled alley, and an even brighter light than that of the dim alley lamp shone down on the man. He gripped the back of the girl's head of hair as he raised her up to force her to awaken.

"Damn you…" She began to swear when an inhuman scream came from the girl, threatening to burst her eardrums. A sharp tremor jolted up her spine; she cried out and ducked her head down, toughness lost as she covered her ears and screwed her eyes shut tight.

_'_**Mama**!'_ The girl child ran through the dark alleys half-blinded by tears, desperate to find her lost mother, her mother that she prayed to God was waiting for her at home, in that smelly apartment…_

_Loud barking sounded from her right and the child barely turned to see a hulking hound rushing towards her at full-throttle; it was pitch black but she could still feel this dog wasn't going to lick her face like she so wished._

_The girl screamed as she covered her head, but the dog's sharp teeth didn't bite down on her or draw blood; she opened an eye slowly before gasping, both eyes flying open to stare at her savior._

_The dog cried out in agony as a larger dog with pointed ears snarled and silenced its crying with a quick break of the neck bone, a muffled 'crack' sounding when teeth broke bone. _

_She sniffled, watching the larger dog snort at the dead mongrel, stiffening as it turned to face her; she gaped when meeting the victor's deep gold stare, now realizing that this wasn't just a stray, that it was a wolf. _

_A real wolf!_

'**Nikki**…'

"Now look what happened, because of that jerk she fainted." A familiar voice groused near her.

She didn't need to be a wolf to know the ground beneath her had left; the right side of her head lightly bumped against something warm and beating, and she remembered her surroundings.

"We need to get out of here before someone sees." The quiet collected voice of her carrier deduced, his chest rising and falling slightly with his breathing.

Shuffling of feet and she swallowed a yelp when he started walking shortly after her friend.

She wasn't a damsel, she didn't need anyone to save her, or pick her up off her feet… _But damn it all he was so warm_.

* * *

**A/N:** okay i **did** promise sexual tension, and there was fluff in this one, so forgive me this chap yeah?  
but hey, we get a glimpse into Nikki's past and how she and Tsume met. now before any of you ask, no this is strictly a KibaOC pairing, none others. if you've been reading my WR stories you know i'm a stickler with Kiba.. besides, i kinda like Tsume being the loner. makes him sexier in a way...

agh god i need help. and re-familiarizing myself with _Naruto Shippuden_ *cough***_Itachi_***cough* the last few days _DOESN'T_ help.

on the Naruto subject, a small shoutout to **InOneEfficientGulp** for your hilarious romance-comedy fic, "**_Fishing for Mr. Right_**". i spent most of last night reading up to chapter six and it's an amazing read. those of you reading this go check out **InOneEfficientGulp's** writing.  
until next time, later!


	3. The Sharpest Lives, pt III: Fin

A/N: **i don't own Wolf's Rain; Nikki belongs to me.**

[**key**: _'wolf speech_'/ "human speech"]

* * *

**_The Sharpest Lives - Pt. III: Fin_**

* * *

She opened an eye stiffly, seeing white fur cast into shadow right infront of her face; she closed her eyes and then opened them again, now noticing the pelt was moving, preferably moving with the steady breathing of the one she was lying next to.

His pointed ears twitched once or twice as she gingerly sat up, rubbing her forehead with a hand, fingers trailing into the light fringe of black hair on her brow, and she exhaled slightly.

'_You should be sleeping_.' The wolf that had carried her down to the sewers with the pudgy wolf now snoring near them pointed out in a quiet voice, and she looked back to see his gold eyes were on her, shaggy head slightly tilted to the side. '_You okay?_'

She looked away and huffed a little. "I'm fine, just that my head kind of hurts." She dismissed, shuffling away to trod over to the drain grate and plop herself down onto a half-submerged pipe.

Rolling his eyes once at her defensiveness, the white wolf exhaled and followed her if only to sate his curiosity and get back to sleep, not to mention make her get some rest. "Ontop of not being very sneaky, you're bad at lying, and to a wolf no less." He mused as he joined her on the pipe, green eyes resting on her.

She ignored the blush at hearing how bad she was, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. "Shouldn't you be **sleeping**?" She demanded rather tartly.

"Shouldn't **you** start explaining why you flaked out back there?" Kiba countered with that tenacity dripping from his every syllable, meeting her sharp glare and only raising a brow at her irate expression, sitting back a little and folding his arms complacently. "Hige told me you just fainted after she screamed; it was hard to really hear much past that, but I _did_ hear you scream. Start talking." He said.

Nikki cut her gaze away, growling slightly. "It's none of your business so keep your snout out of it, **flea-bag**." She snapped.

"It sure as hell **is** my business especially when you're **lying** to my face. What's so difficult with telling me why you, a human that once said she wasn't a weak human like I thought she was, fainted in that alley…?" He demanded, bristling beneath his human skin, hating that she was being so damn stonewall when he needed to know why she passed out…

Wait, why _did_ he need to know?

"_My mother is __**dead**__, Kiba!_" She nearly shouted, making him jump, before a tense silence dropped between them, and they briefly heard the tan wolf snort in his sleep before the snoring continued, fading out to let the silence stand tall. She glowered heatedly into his green eyes, and for the first time since he met this strange girl, he could see tears were starting to congregate in the bottom rims of her eyes, throwing him for a loop.

He backed down out of respect and dropped his gaze, letting her gather herself and wipe her eyes with her left sleeve cuff. "I'm sorry… You never told me about that."

She scoffed dryly, looking at the sewer's current that passed beyond the drain grate. "It's not something I like to talk about. Most of the time I don't think on it, but when it catches me off guard, it just reminds me that I really am an orphan. A stray dog, I guess." She half-laughed at that, smiling bitterly. "But it also reminds me that it wasn't long after that happened that I met Tsume… He protected me since I was young, and he's been doing it ever since. It's because of him that I'm not dead in the gutter, that I made friends..."

Kiba couldn't fight the small smile at the last bit, watching her slowly return to her normal self. "No wonder you worry about him… Kinda makes me jealous." He muttered, looking down at his jeans.

Nikki blinked once and looked at him in confusion. "About?"

Yep, she was back. "He's got someone to worry about him, someone to protect… That's something wolves like me would give anything for." _That's one reason I want to find Paradise. To at least have something to call my own again_.

She quieted and looked down before doing the instinctive thing and slugging his shoulder.

"Ow!" He hissed, wincing and reaching to rub his bruised arm –probably abused and bruised and blotchy by this point; she had a good left hook—when she rested her head on his shoulder, taking him by surprise. "Nikki…"

"You're an idiot. I'm starting to think Tsume's not as bull-headed as you are…" A soft giggle came from her when he growled under his breath and shifted slightly, not leaving her side despite his disgruntlement. "I know I'm not a wolf, I know I'm weird, but what I know better than both of those things is that lone wolves don't last long on their own. I don't care how far it takes us, how many months or years it takes to get there, but I'm going to stay at your side. I won't run and I'll fight, if only to help you." She promised quietly.

Kiba looked at her in surprise, soaking in the truth of her words before a soft smile curled the corners of his lips; he nodded. "Even though you're not a wolf, you sure talk like one." A stubborn she-wolf.

Nikki smiled proudly even though she was blushing at his compliment, nuzzling her cheek into his sleeve, closing her eyes. "Thanks for earlier." She murmured.

Before he knew it, she had conked out again, though this time at least she wasn't unconscious because of a fainting spell.

He shook his head slightly, a wry smile on his lips despite having her so close to him. This girl really was strange.

::::::l oOo l::::::

"Uh-oh, musta taken a wrong turn… Hey look, it's one of our own!"

"Hige, move your ass!"

"Move it, will ya? That's the last time I trust **your** nose."

The tan wolf yelped as he was forcibly shoved out of the manhole by a well-placed kick to his rear, watching both his friends slip out of the sewer with his fellow wolf helping the girl by the hand. "Well anyone's nose woulda gone numb after a night in **that** stink-hole!" He protested indignantly, pouting.

"I'm not even a wolf and I can swear I won't be able to smell for a whole friggin' **_month_** because your pudgy ass was in the way of fresh air!" She barked, scowling back with her hands on her hips.

The white wolf rolled his eyes and momentarily caught the curve in her hips again, mentally whacking himself on the head for staring. Shaking his head slightly, he blinked and looked into the rest of the alley to see a thin brown wolf that didn't look to be much older than a pup staring at them with his jaw slack and amber eyes wide.

'_Y-you guys… no way! You're_…' The pup began in awe, watching the white wolf's gold stare drift past him to something over his shoulder; he looked in the same direction to see that girl had found him again. '_Leara!_' He declared.

"Huh…?" The older girl present muttered, blinking once when seeing the younger girl present; she calmed and felt a small amount of pity for the child as she noticed she was shaking.

Poor thing.

'_Don't be scared. I just wanted to see you again… I'm so sorry, about your bird_.' The pup spoke, and she had the sudden urge to open her mouth and tell him that she couldn't understand his speech.

For all she knew, this kid would end up in a psych ward in no time flat after coming into contact with a creature thought to be long gone…

"Daddy… **DADDY**! Come quick, it's the wolf! **THE WOLF IS HERE**!" The girl screamed then, making all four cringe slightly at the loudness.

"Let's go," Kiba hissed, grabbing the older girl's hand and taking off at a sprint back towards the sewage pipes, Hige and the brown pup following shortly.

"B-but Kiba…!" Nikki began, yelping slightly when he pulled her with him into one pipe large enough for them to fit in, and she looked back to the scene, hoping that pup had followed.

He'd have to be pretty stupid to stay.

* * *

The pain in his arm had dulled, almost numbed at this point… It still stung a little, though.

His ears twitched as he heard voices coming from outside the room; he stiffened and readied to either run or fight.

"Oi, you sure this's the place, princess?"

"You forget I know him like the back of my hand, O Pudgy One."

"… Really?"

"_Really_."

"Cut it out, you two."

"You're no fair... _flea-bag_."

The door handle jiggled until it was opened from the outside, and he jumped to his feet on habit, slightly surprised to see the company that had sought him out all the way to the ruined complex.

"Tsume!" His sister beamed in relief and shrugged past both males in her way to embrace the gray wolf.

He grimaced slightly when she brushed against his injury, exhaling and hugging back. "You idiot, where the hell've you been?" He asked, pulling back to scowl knowingly at her sky blue eyes.

She rubbed her left arm gingerly, shrugging. "Sorry, Onii-san… Hey, what happened to your arm? You're bleeding." She returned when catching the blood on his left sleeve, recalling the cops the night before and then groaning, slapping her forehead. "_Tsume!_" She would maim him when he was on the mend, that much she promised!

The gray wolf snuffed and scowled sorely at his sister. "It's just a scratch, Nik." Even though she wasn't his sister by blood, she sure as hell scolded him like if she was… He mildly glanced past her at the trio of wolves that had come with and he registered his gaze on the white wolf standing at the head; a low growl escaped him as he saw the younger male stiffen when hearing the noise. "You!" He spat.

Nikki blinked when hearing him growl and she followed his gaze to meet the white wolf's tightened green stare, his jaw muscles tight. "Tsume, cool it. Kiba's okay, he and Hige and Toboe are okay…" She started to explain.

"I could smell the blood from your wound all the way from town." Kiba chose that moment to speak, and she wanted to not only slap her forehead but beat him into a coma for opening his big mouth.

Stupid flea-bag...

Tsume bristled and then scoffed, reflexively stepping infront of his sister. "And what, you wanna nurse me back to _health?_ I don't _need_ your help, and I _especially_ don't need you sniffing after my little sister." He growled coldly, extending his bum arm when hearing her try to worm her way out from behind his barricade.

"Tsume, look. Um, we're leaving the city… and I really think you should come with us!" Toboe spoke up, hesitating momentarily at the sight of the bristling wolf.

"And just where is this merry band of yours going?" He scoffed, grimacing when she clawed on his arm and therein slipping under his barricade to stand near the trio.

"Paradise." She answered clearly, momentarily baffling the white wolf nearest her, but her eyes were for her brother.

"You've gotta be kidding. Them I can believe actually buying that load of crap because of the jackass you've magically befriended, but you too? You're a human, Nikki. Humans don't believe in places that don't exist, particularly a puppy's fairy tale like Paradise." He demanded, scowling at her defiant blue stare.

"A wolf trapped in a human's skin, _that's_ what I am! And anyway, I'm old enough to live on my own and choose my own path, and I choose to go with him to Paradise." Even if I'm not allowed in if we ever get there.

Tsume glared sternly now, drawing up to his full height, noting it did nothing to deter her stonewall stance. "You're not going anywhere." He bit out.

"If we stay here, we'll have to spend the rest of our lives in hiding or worse! …We just can't live with the humans anymore and survive." Toboe agreed with the girl, recalling the other human girl he'd terrified, dropping his gaze to his boots.

Hige scowled out the window at the back of the unused room, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but a rank stench is headed our way." He informed the quartet, garnet eyes trained on the spotlights surrounded by clustered groups of cops that were scattered below.

Nikki clicked her tongue, "Tch, well that's rich."

Kiba looked at the group gathered, mainly the three wolves, "Let me ask you something; why did you guys come to this town in the first place? … It was because of the flower scent, wasn't it? Well that's gone now: there's no reason to stay." He said.

"The flowers have nothing to do with it: I'm here because I _belong_, and so is _she_." Tsume cut across gruffly, scowling at his sister.

"I can see that, this city is a _dump_. Even though she's a human that obviously doesn't seem to matter to your sister. If she wants to come with me I have no problem with it." He countered, distinctly feeling her surprised blue stare burn into the side of his head.

He bristled, lip curling, "I still have a score to settle with you…"

"_Seriously!_" She groaned and slapped her forehead; "We don't have time for this!" the pudgy tan wolf added anxiously as the older wolf drew up to stand tall infront of the likewise-defiant white wolf.

"Last time we met, you said your pride wouldn't let you pass as a human. Well, you look pretty fucking _human_ to me… Where'd your pride go?" Tsume drawled lowly, amber seizing green in a vice-grip.

Kiba stood his ground, gaze stoic, "Nowhere; nothing's changed."

Amber eyes tightened. "Do you have the slightest idea of what'll happen if you leave this city?" At seeing him nod slightly, he added bitingly, "You'll just die."

"Possibly; everyone's gonna die, it's a natural part of life. But if your life has no purpose, then you're dead already." Green eyes tightened momentarily before returning to stoicness.

Hell broke loose around them as the spotlights shined brightly in the room and illuminated the pack of five, signaling their exit cue, as said five hurried and somehow managed to reach the pipes leading to the farther outskirts of Freeze City.

A slight yelp sounded behind him and the white wolf turned to grab her arm in time as a stray bullet caught her off guard from below, "hold onto me." He ordered, green holding blue tight.

Blushing momentarily, she nodded and took a good hold on his hand, smiling a little, hurrying after his lead, distinctly feeling his fingers squeeze hers on one or two occasions.

After stopping briefly to let Tsume catch up from leading the cops on a different route, the pack scrambled onto the top of the high gate, the cold wind of a fresh snowfall nipping at their faces and hands, playing with their hair.

Kiba let go of her hand as she momentarily took in the vast frozen wasteland beyond the borders of the crummy city, inwardly putting the image of her awed face to memory, the wind that played with her short black hair… "Do you trust me?" He asked, wrenching them both out of their reveries.

Nikki blinked back flurries, looking at him confusedly. "Yeah, why… H-hey!" She yelped when he hoisted her into his arms and then leaped over the ledge, a girly yelp escaping her before she buried her face into the side of his neck and closed her eyes.

Hige rolled his eyes and distinctly heard his friend swearing vehemently once they landed, a quiet chuckle coming from the wolf who'd descended with her securely held in his arms, sighing. "This's gonna be a _long_ journey…" He dropped down after the couple.

"Flea-bag jackass, that wasn't funny!" She shouted, glowering daggers up at his amused and content face.

"Not from where I'm standing." He said cheekily, dodging the kick she aimed for his gut, blinking when hearing a yelp sound behind them before the brown pup landed unceremoniously on his rear.

She smacked the front of his torso hard, huffing and crossing her arms as he grimaced against the slight pain brought from her sharp hit. "Oh, you're _standing_?" She drawled.

"Tsume, what're you waiting for? C'mon, jump!" The pup exclaimed up at the gate ledge and she looked to see her brother hesitated to take the jump.

"Are you scared?" Kiba asked coolly after regaining himself, green meeting amber.

From his ledge, Tsume clicked his tongue and smirked. "Yeah, you wish." And with that he leaped over the ledge to join the others.

* * *

**A/N**: so yeah i don't have much to put here for today. i've put up a few promotional sketches and the like for this story on my tumblr. just check out:

[**covered-by-roses-021**.**tumblr**.**com**]

**edit: "**The Sharpest Lives**" - **My Chemical Romance**


	4. No More Losing The War

A/N: **i don't own Wolf's Rain; Nikki belongs to me.**

[**key**: _'wolf speech_'/ "human speech"]

* * *

_**No More Losing The War**_

* * *

The wind howled softly outside of the cave.

She scowled slightly and hugged her arms, once again hating that she was human, rubbing her upper arms gingerly and exhaling a soft breath of fog.

"Oi, Nik, y'sure you're alright over there by yourself? Not cold are you?" The tan wolf asked from the further recesses of the cave as he sat near the pup, earning a glance from her.

The gray wolf sent him a death glare; the white wolf snorted and pretended he didn't bristle.

She rolled her eyes and smirked over at the tan wolf, noting both males near her had also perked at his flirting attempt, "Dunno, it's getting _pretty_ _cold_ right here…" She said off-handedly, gesturing to her proximity to the cave mouth.

"**You're perfectly fine**." Tsume and Kiba interjected at the same time, catching that they'd spoken simultaneously and then scowling at each other.

Nikki quirked a brow; Toboe sweatdropped; Hige snorted.

::::::l oOo l::::::

"The moon looks so beautiful."

He glanced at her from lying next to her knee, noting her aimless petting of his head had stopped; one gold eyed glance showed that she was staring up at the pale white orb in the sky, that awestruck look on her pretty face showing prominently. His gaze softened.

_Since when did she look beautiful in the moonlight? And why was he just now realizing it? Great Moon he was in trouble…_

"Y'know, I was thinking we should go ahead and ditch that guy. I mean it's not like he has to tag along with us or anything; it was happenstance that threw us together with them, anyway…" Hige's opinion being voiced jerked him out of his thoughts.

Nikki rolled her eyes and stretched her arms to the sky, sighing, "I don't see why he's staying if he's complaining so much. If it's because of me he doesn't have to worry." _I'm not the little girl he saved from getting mauled by a stray dog, not anymore… I can fight; I will fight, to stay with my friends_.

"The same goes for you, Hige," regaining his composure, Kiba deadpanned and closed his eyes serenely.

Hige shot him a look; "Yeah but Tsume's been giving me bad vibes since the beginning."

"He's just different, that's all. He's always had someone to blame, and at the same time he's had someone to watch his back… He's pretty lucky if you ask me. Give him a break, he'll come around." Kiba countered calmly.

"Okay, so what the hell's up with you, anyway? You talk like you've got an answer for just about everything. What exactly happened to you before all this?" Hige demanded with mild exasperation, looking at him.

Kiba kept his eyes on the moon, shrugging mildly, "Nothing much… nothing much at all." _If only you knew_…

"Kiba?" Her softened and calm voice breached the nostalgic fog that had come over him, perking his ears.

He closed his eyes and then opened them, glancing at her to see there was some concern in her blue orbs colored like clear skies. He lowered his gaze, "I'm alright." He assured quietly.

She kept her gaze on him for another few moments before sighing and brushing strands of hair from her face, looking up at the moon. "You know I'm here if you ever wanna talk, yeah?" She pointed out, perking his ears again.

He noticed she was gazing at the moon again and his face softened slightly. "Yeah."

"I hate to break it to you, but your girlfriend isn't exactly the gentlest psychiatrist around…" The tan wolf mused after another few moments of silence stole between the trio.

Kiba sweatdropped when said '_psychiatrist_' pulled the boy into a head-lock and tugged on his collar. "I figured _that_ _one_ out on day one." He muttered.

"Ow, ow, Nikki, I said I'm sorry now let go! You're gonna ruin my cute face!" Hige yipped and squirmed in her grip, growling when she pulled on his left cheek.

Nikki huffed, "_Since __**when**__?_ You tried _that one_ on me when I was sixteen and it _still_ doesn't work, _Sir Pudge_ of the _Land of Pudginess!"_ She said with a vein twitching on her left brow.

"_Kibaaaa!_ For God's sake, get your girlfriend!" Hige whined for aid.

"He's _not_ my boyfriend…" Nikki growled, blushing darkly at the assumption.

Kiba scowled, ignoring the blush on his cheeks, huffing. "Cool it, wolf girl." He urged patiently, crossing his arms.

Nikki pouted sorely but complied when he shot her a look, sighing and relinquishing her hold on the tan wolf. "Pussies, both of you…" She groused, sitting there with her arms crossed, looking the part of a sulky child.

"Like _that_ was ladylike." Kiba snorted, a smirk threatening to curl his lips at seeing how cute she looked.

"Bite me!" The human growled.

"_I'll do it!_" The pudgy male chirped.

"_The hell you will_." The white wolf snuffed, shooting him a glare that made the tan wolf back down.

* * *

So what if she was a human? So what if this was completely dangerous? This was her brother she was going to protect, even if it cost her life!

"Leave him alone!" She pelted a rock at the machine's red lens, shattering the thing as she landed slightly clumsily infront of her brother.

"Nikki, run! Don't just stand there, go!" He ordered behind her as she drew a dagger from her belt and watched the robot whir and shift infront of them, small sparks flying from where the rock crushed the lens.

"A simple '_thank you_' would be much nicer to hear!" She declared dryly, perking up as the robot aimed the gun barrels at them both; she bared her teeth and readied her dagger.

A loud booming howl erupted in the icy ravine, momentarily surprising the siblings, before the familiar blur of white launched himself at the machine's front gun barrel, teeth sinking into the metal.

"Kiba!" She beamed in relief.

The robot swung the barrel and knocked off the white wolf that bared his teeth angrily. '_Get him away from here_,' he ordered her, sprinting away down the ravine and letting the machine give chase as he bolted.

She tucked her knife back into the belt of her jeans, turning to help her brother to his feet. "C'mon, Tsume..."

"I can walk fine!" He snapped when she made to ask the tan wolf for aid, meeting her blue stare.

She held his stare and then sighed, nodding. "You're lucky Kiba came in time, otherwise you'd be mincemeat." She mused as they both started climbing, making sure she kept an eye on his injured leg.

He scoffed and scowled at her briefly, "I coulda handled it."

She shook her head, "Onii-san, I know you're strong, but could you just, for one second, _admit_ you need help when you're worse for wear?" She knew he would never swallow his pride to admit that sort of defeat, but one could only hope.

"Why, so I don't get in the way of you and your boy toy?" Tsume growled, watching her hop onto the ledge where Hige was, perking up when she offered her hand. He looked up at her placid blue eyes.

"Look, just because I have new friends doesn't mean I don't want you around. You're still my big brother; you're always gonna be someone special to me, Onii-san. Nothing or noone is going to change that." Nikki said solemnly, blue eyes taking on a stubborn light he was accustomed to seeing, helping him onto the ledge; her shoulders slumped and she smiled fondly at his amber eyes. "You're the one who said I acted more like a wolf than a human, remember?" She added.

He looked down momentarily, closing his eyes and exhaling, rubbing the back of his neck. "Cripes, you're so damn stubborn… It's not like I'm sayin' I approve of your boyfriend, because I'm not. I just hope you know what you're doing, _imoto-chan_." He smirked when he distinctly saw her ears burn at hearing that nickname she never got used to in the past.

She puffed her cheeks out and scritched the back of her head. "Are we okay now or do I have to slug it into your thick skull?" She asked grouchily.

"Yeah, we're okay." Tsume sighed, blinking when she smiled and then embraced him, quieting and hugging back.

Nikki pulled back to poke his left cheek, smirking. "You're turning into such a geezer in your old age, Onii-san…" She teased.

"Bite me." Tsume scoffed, pretending she didn't giggle.

::::::l oOo l::::::

"You okay?" He asked as he came forward from the ravine, noting the mild favor he took on his left leg.

He shrugged it off, "Yeah, just a scratch…"

"**You ****idiot**!" A combat boot was thrown at his head, connecting right with the top of his head of messy hair and knocking him down.

He momentarily saw stars before shaking his head and rubbing the growing bump gingerly, noting her discarded black combat boot near him. "Ow…" He jumped to his feet to glare at her, "What the hell was that for!? That hurt, Nikki!" He barked annoyedly, chucking her boot back.

She slipped it back on and scoffed, stomping up to him with her fists on her hips, "You overgrown, cocky, flea-bag mutt, do you know how reckless that was!? I shoulda let you get pumped full of lead for acting so damn stupid!" She barked back, glaring into his green eyes.

"At least I wasn't the dumbass who jumped infront of the damn robot! You're lucky I drew its attention away from you!" Kiba argued, glaring defiantly into her blue stare.

"Oh, so I'm a _dumbass_ now!? How many times do I have to say it? **I don't need to be rescued**! I'm not a weak little human like you want me to be!" Nikki exclaimed.

Both human and wolf glowered at each other for a good long minute of tense silence; Hige and Toboe sweatdropped in the background.

"Would you two shut the hell up for once!? It's daybreak_, my leg is_ **_fucking_** _killing_ _me_, and you two are arguing like a damn-well old married couple!" Tsume shouted, making all four turn to see him glaring irritably at them, namely the two bickering 'adults'.

Nikki looked at Kiba just as he looked at her and they both blushed a shade of reddish pink before scoffing and turning away. Kiba trudged to the front of the line whereas Nikki lingered to help her brother to his feet.

Toboe followed to support the gray wolf on his free side, earning a brief look from the siblings.

Hige smiled slightly and traipsed to walk at his friend's heels, the trio following shortly.

* * *

**A/N**: aaand yes of course there had to be comedy and some more sexual tension thrown into the mix. i wouldn't be one hell of a story writer if i didn't throw that into the medley of this story, now would i? ;D .. belay that, i've kinda been getting into reading Kuroshitsuji fics again..

anyway, yeah, the tension's building up but the important question still remains: **when will it pop?** .. _like i'm going to tell you_. ahah nononono i'm keeping the suspense **present**, dammit! lol

**edit: "**No More Losing The War**" - **Half-Moon Run**


	5. Raised By Wolves I

A/N: **i don't own Wolf's Rain; Nikki belongs to me.**

[**key**: '_wolf speech_'/ "human speech"]

* * *

**_Raised By Wolves I_**

* * *

The cold wind nipped at her cheeks and tugged at her hair tucked into the hood of her coat as she paused in walking to look at the end of their path. Snow completely covered the supposed-unused railroad bridge, stretching from the shore also covered in the white slush to the island in the middle of the lake.

Kiba had claimed the scent was leading in this direction, but she couldn't help but wonder if his nose might've been off…

"You're gonna be frozen there forever if you don't move, y'know." Speak of the devil; a shiver rolled down her spine but not because he was next to her.

Nikki shot him a look and smirked, one hand lifting to tug on his collar, seeing him blink once in surprise; she quirked a brow and leaned in so their noses brushed against the other, blue stare feigning allure. "Shut up and race me, wolf boy." She released him to bolt ahead down the bridge at top speed, hood flying from her head.

Kiba blinked again and shook his head fervently, momentarily wondering if that was a daydream or something illusive like that, before he caught the mild scowl from the gray wolf and the amused smirk from the tan wolf near him, the pup having gone after the girl's lead. Squaring his shoulders, he scoffed and growled, "Whatever." He sprinted after them. 

* * *

"Oi..."

Tsume glanced back after landing nimbly on the slushy concrete and walking off ahead of the others, seeing his sister hesitating to follow his lead. "What's that face for…? Oh yeah, forgot your height phobia." He mused aloud.

"Oh _now_ you remember!" Nikki growled, inhaling and then taking the plunge, yelping when she landed and skidded unceremoniously in the slush, hitting her tailbone. "Oww!"

Hige sweatdropped and lifted her by the hood of her coat, letting her stand and dust herself off. "Be grateful ya don't have a sharp nose; this place reeks." He mused to his friend, ignoring the penetrating look from a certain pair of green eyes.

"Cripes that hurt…" Sighing, she smiled at her old friend, "Thanks, Hige." She trodded after her brother with Toboe at her side, leaving Kiba and Hige to follow.

As they kept walking, she noticed small signs of life within the deserted part of the city. A shade being drawn here, darting glances there… She frowned slightly. "Some welcome-wagon." She muttered.

"I guess they're not used to visitors?" Toboe chimed, slightly sulky.

Hige shrugged, having also noticed the signs, "Not likely."

Tsume scoffed at the lead, "What the hell kinda place is this… This is _some_ Paradise." He mused sarcastically.

Nikki made a face through pulling her hood back onto her head. "Not this again…"

Passing through another few more alleys and alcoves, night began to fall and therein make the dreary place a few degrees colder. Upon coming across another alcove, the familiar scent of something burning drew their attention to the alcove covered in shadow, and all five noticed they had company.

A group of at least six or so people –no, strike that, men—were huddled, sitting or standing, around a rusted burn-barrel, the orange glow of the embers vainly burning.

Hige was the first to point out that there was a woman present with the barrel group, voice not going unheard by the otherwise-men as their silence seemed to tense and stiffen when hearing they weren't alone.

Nikki's gaze sharpened as she gave them a second glance; she didn't know how she knew –maybe it was living with wolves for the past few weeks, or the fact that her adoptive brother was a wolf himself—but she realized these men weren't human… they were _wolves_.

And strange enough, the woman was like her, or maybe it was vice-versa; she wanted to believe that much, anyway.

A wolf with the visage of a human, a human harboring a wolf inside…

Her view was distorted when a lanky man straightened to look at their pack, namely the white wolf in the lead. He looked at least twenty or thirty years older than her brother (judging by his grayed sandy hair and the lines on his narrow face), with a vertical scar running down his left cheek; his gold eyes were on the green eyes of the white wolf.

"Where're you boys from?" He asked in a gruff voice.

Kiba was the first to answer, "The city to the north."

"Why're you here?" Scar-face pressed.

Tsume answered snarkily, "Just passing through. You don't expect us to do business here, in a crapheap like this?"

"Well, then, where're you going?" Scar-face huffed.

"'Where're we going'?" Hige repeated incredulously.

Toboe answered chirpily, "To Paradise!"

Nikki scowled slightly when the pack stiffened before their leader busted out laughing, his pack-members following suit.

"Um, Kiba, why're they laughing?" Toboe asked meekly, confused, looking at their designated leader.

"Because it's obvious they don't know about Paradise." Kiba answered flatly, meeting the scowl from the older wolf.

Scar-face's eyes tightened, "We know all about it."

Nikki noted the momentary silence that entered and she tensed slightly where she stood between both white and gray wolves, noting the former's green gaze tightened.

"It's nothing but a stupid legend!" A second wolf piped up, one with a fat snout and beady dark eyes.

"'Legend'?" Toboe repeated quietly.

"That's right, kid, there's no such place as Paradise." Fat-snout answered snidely.

Kiba scowled, "What makes you say that?"

Fat-snout sneered at him, "Maybe because we've been there; we've all seen it. And I'm telling you, that place wasn't Paradise… it was more like hell."

Tsume scoffed, "Well _that's_ no surprise."

"Tch, you're as blind as you _look_, then." Nikki drawled, noting the pack looked at her for speaking out; she smiled brazenly. "The Paradise we're going to find is real and nothing coming from a washed-up mongrel like _you_ is gonna change that." She stated.

Fat-snout bristled and sneered again, "cocky words coming from a little girl. Don't tell me humans playing wolf are being allowed into Paradise, now."

Nikki bared her teeth, narrowing her blue eyes, "Why don't you come over here and say that?" She growled coldly; if she _was_ a wolf, she'd have already jumped him and ripped that sneering smile off his fat face.

Kiba bristled and fisted a hand in her coat, pulling her back behind his barricade; defiance screamed in her blue stare that jerked up at his hardened face. "_Enough_." He hissed, glowering back, holding her glare until she backed down reluctantly, pretending she didn't deliver a particularly-sharp punch to his shoulder as she turned away.

The older alpha scoffed at the display, "You'll all find out soon enough, you'll see that Paradise isn't worth looking for. Now, why don't you all just get lost? You do have somewhere to belong, don't you?" He said coolly.

Tsume's hand found her shoulder as he squeezed down when she shot the older wolf a dirty look, "C'mon," he muttered, steering her alongside him as they led the way away from the alcove. Kiba followed shortly with Hige and Toboe trailing behind.

Once they were four or so blocks away from the alcove, she shoved against her brother and stormed ahead of the four wolves, hands curled into fists. "_You're so unbelievable!_" She nearly exploded, teeth grinding together.

"There was too many of them for you to handle on your own. They would've ripped you to shreds." Tsume pointed out stiffly, bristling at the thought; even though she wasn't his sister by blood, just the idea of her being put in danger made his blood run cold.

"You're the one who taught me to fight, you know I could've taken them!" Nikki snapped, glaring back at her brother. "I am _not_ weak, I'm not _helpless_… You know I'm not, Tsume."

"Strength doesn't fare long against numbers, not if it's one against five." Kiba agreed with the gray wolf, holding her scowl.

Nikki scoffed, shaking her head. "You're the _last_ person I'm taking advice from. The dumbass who walked around for god-knows-how-long with a bum leg, sustained more beatings and scratches, got shot in the shoulder in the same week, and just a few weeks prior took on a robot hunter! The both of you are not only insane but the worst role models when it comes to steering clear of trouble." She stated, glaring from one male to the other before storming away with her shoulders squared and her back straight, refusing to look back.

Hige was the first to break the awkward silence she left behind, smiling wryly. "Talk about getting cowed…" He hurried after his friend, Toboe quickly following, before either one of them got hit with a stink eye from the two older wolves.

Kiba let his eyes linger on her back that was getting farther and farther away, exhaling and pinching the bridge of his nose, trudging after the younger males. "Is she _always_ this much of a hard-ass when she's pissy?" He asked the gray wolf traipsing to walk next to him.

"Y'know, I'm sad to say that she learned that one from me." Tsume relented, mentally kicking himself for having possibly created a monster in his human sister.

::::::l oOo l:::::: 

"…And anyway, you know it's hopeless. There's no absolute guarantee that we'll reach it… we'd be stupid to keep going!" He declared pointedly.

She scoffed from her seat next to the doorway of the ruined mausoleum, "y'know, just because that old flea-bag warned us to leave, **I'm** **staying**. Whatever they're hiding is worth looking into. And anyway, you forget that if the scent of flowers is _still_ here, then that means we're getting somewhere." She countered.

He scoffed back and relaxed in his seat, folding his arms behind his head, "You might actually be right about staying here. Maybe we should stick around, eating out of the gutter and start digging holes like that old man."

She shook her head, sighing, "You're hopeless sometimes…"

"It's not confidence; I'm not sure what it is… But it's always there, screaming inside of me. I have to know, that's the only reason I've kept running this long. I can't imagine living without believing in it." He said, his voice wistful yet carrying an edge that somehow or another made a shiver roll down her spine.

Hige surprised the quartet for a moment when he jumped into a sitting position from having been lying down near the brown pup, steering four sets of eyes to round on the same woman from the alcove as she came out from the shadows with a kind smile on her face.

"You kids must be starving." She said warmly.

"Yes, yes, we are! You have no idea how hungry we all are!" Like he was wont to do around a pretty face, let alone a pretty face that harbored food on their person, Hige groveled like a puppy.

Nikki rolled her eyes and smiled in spite of, blinking when the white wolf took off into the darkness at a calm walk. "Sheesh," she muttered, straightening to follow him outside.

::::::l oOo l:::::: 

Kiba looked over at her as she sat with him, both of them looking up at the moon carved into a vertical thin smile. "You still mad?" He asked.

"No, only because it's hard to stay mad at either of you lunkheads. You more than my brother." Nikki sighed, dangling her legs over the ledge of the concrete path. "Don't let that inflate your already-huge head, either." She added, shooting him a look.

He smiled innocently when receiving the pointed scowl from her, lifting his gaze to the moon again and sighing, letting the silence soak in between them again. "You said once that you were always there if I wanted to talk, right?" He started, perking her ears.

"What's on your mind?" She returned quietly, lifting a brow and looking at him.

He quieted and got his thoughts in order, keeping his eyes on the vertical smile the moon was carved into, telling her of his past. Fire and blood and flowers. A pup abandoned to be raised by a shaman and then left to face the world alone. A lone wolf searching for a home, a lone wolf surviving through loneliness and the sheer strive to find where he belonged.

Letting it all sink in, she closed her eyes and sat forward, rubbing her temples with her hands, elbows propped on her knees. "All this time… And then you found us, you stumbled into Freeze City." She whispered as more of a thought.

He nodded, recalling the first day they met as it felt like years ago, her sarcasm and her wit, her loyalty… "I found **you**." He stated quietly, perking her ears.

She looked at him in slight surprise, blushing a shade of pink, before smiling wanly and lowering her gaze. "I'm sure there'll be plenty of other wolves for you to find interest in. S' not like there's ever been a human allowed past the gates of Paradise… It's not worth it, really." She mused, her insides cringing as that little nagging voice in the back of her head was firmly set against her denying herself the attraction she felt for him.

No; he was a wolf, she was a human. It couldn't work… There were too many differences, let alone different species… For all she knew, the Flower Maiden was supposed to be paired up with him. Paired up with a strong, kind, passionate wolf like Kiba…

That would probably be _her_ kind of Paradise.

"I'm sure there will be, but they won't be _you_. You've proven you're as wolf-like as the rest of us, even though you're a human. I wouldn't have let you come along with us if you didn't at least prove that much." Kiba said firmly, green eyes determined.

Nikki shuddered at seeing that fire in his eyes, hugging her knees she'd drawn to her chest. "_'Even though I'm a human_' says enough volumes. Humans and wolves don't go to the same place, remember? You told me that once…"

"And like the hard-ass wolf girl you are, you _fought_ _back_... Even threatened to 'rearrange my face' because of it. After all this time, do you not want to stay with us… to stay with me?" He challenged quietly, voice level, holding her sharp glance in his stonewall green stare.

She opened her mouth to say something, but for his words that stabbed like a dagger's blade into her heart, she closed it and immediately felt the blush creep into her cheekbones, turning them reddish pink. "I do, I… I want to stay with you. I just didn't believe you would be interested so much in a human." She admitted, once again feeling like an awkward, blushing teenager while in his presence.

Kiba exhaled patiently and reached to brush hair from her left cheek, smiling when she looked at him in mild bewilderment. "You said it yourself that you didn't profess to be human, remember? 'A wolf trapped in a human's skin'… A wolf that drives me crazy, to top it off." His eyes softened at seeing her blush prettily when hearing that she made him crazy, albeit crazy for her.

"Kiba…" Nikki murmured, relaxing her posture to hold his hand to her cheek and lean closer to his face, distinctly watching his face near hers, closing her eyes when he kissed her slowly.

He stiffened slightly when she reciprocated almost instantly, lips pressing against his curiously, and he couldn't help the smirk from crossing his lips at recognizing that she had never kissed before; not like he was any different. He pulled her closer to run his fingers gingerly through her black hair, curling in the strands as he deepened the kiss, feeling her arms lift to gingerly encircle his neck, one hand leaving the thin mop of black hair on her head to trace his fingers softly along the jugular vein in her neck and making her shiver, lowering and grazing her collar bone to trail down her torso until they found the bottom hem of her black shirt and he tugged her closer, smirking teasingly against her lips.

She could swear he was teasing her just because he was not only a superior species but also because he could and she scowled with determination. Her arms lowered from his neck so her fingers could curiously drag down his well-built torso he hid under his loose shirt, and she heard a hiss be caught between his teeth. _Heh, payback_. A growl came from the wolf and she didn't hide the soft giggle, drawing back to regain her breath as he did the same for himself, and she smiled cheekily into his disgruntled green eyes.

"Aww, cute." Nikki purred.

Kiba distinctly felt his ears burn and he pouted sorely at her, making her laugh as she ducked her head to prop it against his shoulder. "Bite me." He grumbled, blinking once when feeling her mouth at his neck and he stiffened when she granted his wish and bit him. "Ow…" He muttered, feigning hurt even though he felt the complete opposite about being bitten. It felt strange to have someone –especially a wolf girl like her—bite him instead of the other way around, but damn it, why did she have to tease him!

She tilted her head to the side and looked at him, concern in her eyes. "Sorry…"

"No, its alright. Just strange, to be bitten by a human." He interjected, glancing away as his cheeks turned pink, but not before watching her blush dark pink. He smiled softly at that; now that he thought on it, she was infinitely cuter when she blushed.

Nikki snuffed and twiddled with the button on his left sleeve's shoulder pocket, cheeks reddened. "W-well it beats having you bite me; your name literally means fang, and…" She squeaked when distinctly feeling his lips plant a soft kiss on the jugular vein in her neck, blushing darkly. "K-Kiba…"

Kiba smiled against her skin, brushing hair back, as he kissed again, making a trail to behind her left ear, knowing by her squirming and clawing at his shirt that he hit a sweet spot. "Hm, so the mighty wolf princess can submit herself after all." He murmured, kissing the spot behind her ear teasingly, a chuckle bubbling to the surface when he heard her mewl.

"D-don't you dare…!" She growled bitingly, nearly jumping when he nibbled on her ear, and she would've scrambled away to smack his chest had his strong arms not magically found her waist and he held her in his vice-grip hold. _Damn him!_

He chuckled against her neck, nuzzling the skin with his nose and only serving to feel her breasts press into his chest when her back arched. "'Don't' what, Nik?" He hummed, loving watching her melt solely for him. He heard her gasp when he nibbled playfully on her neck, and his grasp tightened possessively around her small waist as he nipped and kissed the skin, giving the small mark enough attention so any eyes that noticed such a love-bite recognized that she was his.

When he pulled back she smacked his chest, flustered and bothered, blue eyes showing she had not only disliked that he'd marked her but somehow felt honored that he had done what he did.

Kiba tilted his head to the side with an innocent look. "Don't tempt the wolf." He mused.

"You're so impossible…" Nikki lifted a hand to rub her temples, closing her eyes with a soft groan. "Kiba…"

He smiled fondly, ears tingling at hearing she said his name as only she could, fingers leaving her waist to cup her left cheek. He met her slightly flustered look and he brushed her fringe back to kiss her, momentarily catching her off guard.

Fingers curling in his wild and shaggy brown hair, she guided him into a deeper kiss, biting on his lower lip. Just as he was to return her eagerness, she pushed back to rock onto her knees, hearing him growl in remorse.

She could swear he flicked his ears under his human skin and she tilted her head with a smug smile. "That, love, is for another day." She said cheekily, tapping his nose with a finger and laughing when he wrinkled his nose and shooed her hand away.

He closed his eyes and exhaled, folding his arms. "I guess I deserved that one… Still, for a wolf girl, you're a crafty one." He pouted again.

Nikki giggled, smiling again, genuinely, and straightened with a sigh. "We should probably head back soon; knowing Tsume, he's probably wondering where you whisked me away to." She mused with a slight face, extending a hand to help him up.

Kiba took her hand and stood, nodding. "Far and away to do all sorts of unspeakable things to his spitfire kid sister." He smiled impishly at the idea, seeing her blush, before he slung his arm across her shoulders and steered them back towards the darkened city streets. 

* * *

"Oi, is it time to walk the dog already?"

Both companions glanced over at the alcove as they passed and noted five wolves huddled around the orange-glowing barrel, one they both recognized as the fat-snout wolf from before.

Hand tightening on the grip he had on her sleeve, he steered her away as they kept walking.

"Should move along with you pack!" Another wolf taunted.

"Take that human bitch back to whatever whorehouse you found her at, too!" A third wolf jeered, making the rest of the group break into barks of laughter.

Kiba bristled, feet coming to a halt as he glared at them. "What're you guys doing, standing around with no purpose?" He growled icily, hackles rising.

Insult him, nothing to sweat over; insult Nikki… that's where he drew the line. _And these dogs just crossed it_.

"What'd you say?" Fat-snout bit out, beady eyes narrowing at the bristling alpha.

Nikki stepped from his side to spit at the wolves. "Did your little trip to hell in a hand-basket clog up your ears?" She drawled, drawing a dagger from her belt as the white wolf stiffened next to her.

Fat-snout's lip curled to show his fangs, "That's enough lip coming from your mouth, bitch." He snarled quietly, the remaining four wolves following him as he stepped out of the circle to draw up to the young couple.

Kiba bared his teeth.

Nikki regarded the pack of five and backed into him, moonlight glinting off the blade of her dagger. 

* * *

**A/N**: -bows humbly- i apologize for not updating sooner! life gets to you and then you throw Tumblr and dA and all sorts of medleys in the mix and, well... -shrugs- c'est la vie.

anyway! thanks to **VampireSiren** for the latest review~ ; w; and again, thanks to **Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967** for the reviews. hope to hear more from you guys (and those of you who've faved and followed this fic, you know who you are~ ;D) in the future! thanks again. (:

**edit: "**Raised** **By** **Wolves**" - **U2**


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